it's like i'm screaming but no one can hear
by doodlechick12
Summary: Interlude from my Genderbent AU, "To Build A Home." "The first time Niklaus met Stephanie Salvatore, he was going by Nik and was traveling with his sister Rebekah in New York." Klaus met Steph long before 1920, though the Original was careful to compel her to remember otherwise.


**So, I've hit a rut with my TVD/HP crossover (sorry readers!) and I paused the other work I'm been writing to write this. What is this, you ask? Well, it is all of Klaus and gender bent Stefan's meetings before he comes to Mystic Falls again for Elena. While I realize I'm only on my rendition of season 2 of TVD, this plot bunny attacked me abruptly. **

_**Warning for dark themes and possible language.**_** It's Klaus and Ripper! Stefan, readers, what do you expect? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/modified.**

* * *

**It's like screaming, but no one can hear**

_Sweet dreams are made of this_

_Who am I to disagree_

_I travel the world and the seven seas_

_Everybody's looking for something  
Some of them want to use you_

_Some of them want to get used by you_

_Some of them want to abuse you_

_Some of them want to be abused_

_-EURYTHMICS_

* * *

The first time Niklaus met Stephanie Salvatore, he was going by Nik and was traveling with his sister Rebekah in New York.

The day was in the 1897, on a cloudy and morose evening for everyone. The political and economic problems mattered little to Klaus, as he and Rebekah had money, though the elder of the two always said 'Who needs money when we're vampires, darling?'

The two siblings had compelled their way into a high class ball held in the upper east side of New York, and Klaus was sitting at the bar when he saw_ her_ for the first time. Her brown hair was piled onto her head and she wore one of the latest fashions of the Upper East Side. Klaus found himself looking at her oak leaf green eyes and her fine, pale features. The girl was on the right arm of a man a bit older than she was, with darker, curlier hair than hers, and icy blue irises. He was just as pale as the lady he escorted, and a handsome man.

But Klaus' interest laid in the beauty on his arm, the lovely girl that looked to be no older than her late teens. He found himself gravitating towards her after her escort had left for a moment, hoping for a nice meal. She smelt . . . absolutely fantastic.

"Hello, love," Klaus purred into her ear. The girl did not flinch like he'd expected her to, and Klaus noticed for the first time that her heart beat was most irregular. Almost like a . . . vampire. Klaus felt a smirk curling his lips. "I know what you are," He whispered. The girl's green eyes flashed up to his, and Klaus let a little of his natural face glimpse through.

The girl raised her eyebrows in a most unladylike manner at him.

Klaus liked her already.

"Stephanie Salvatore," She introduced herself. Klaus took her hand and raised it to his lips and let them ghost over the top of her knuckles.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Stephanie. Niklaus," He introduced, "But you can call me Nik, if you'd like."

Stephanie's eyes flashed playfully. "Call me Steph, then, Nik."

"Would your escort care if I were to . . . borrow you for a moment of time?" Klaus inquired, "I would love if you would consent to dance with me."

"I am sure that if Damon had his way, I would not have any dance partners at all," Steph said to Klaus coyly, "But that is how my brother is. If he has any ill feelings," She leant up to Klaus, and he bent down to let her whisper in his ear, "Damon may stuff them up his ass."

Delighted, Klaus laughed aloud, causing Rebekah to glance over at them. Once she saw Klaus with a girl, she rolled her eyes and went back to entertaining the hoard of suitors she had acquired already. Klaus took Steph's hand and led her onto the ballroom floor and began to twirl her around to the ballad being played.

"You are a delightful dancer," Klaus appraised Steph, "Did you participate in many balls when you were human?"

Steph smirked, "There were many balls in Mystic Falls. I found the number of them dull after the first few." Klaus tried to keep his surprise off of his face.

"Mystic Falls . . . Virginia?" He inquired aloofly.

Steph nodded her head, "Yes. It is a small town, and not exactly the most . . . _welcoming _to our kind. My brother and my maker was killed by the town's Founding Families in a fire in the Church."

"You do not sound so distraught at the loss," Klaus murmured, curious.

"Katherine Pierce was no friend of mine," Steph spat, much to Klaus' surprise. Then the Original caught onto the name. Katarina Petrova. The doppelgänger who had gotten away.

"Katherine Pierce, you say?"

Steph's green eyes flashed to his, "Do you know her?"

"I did, once," Klaus leant forwards conspiratorially, "Long ago, my elder brother was in love with her. She was but a human at the time, of course."

Steph raised one eyebrow, "It would appear he had the good sense to leave her, if she was free enough to seduce my elder brother."

"Oh, he didn't leave her," Klaus said, "Circumstances drove them apart, I'm afraid."

"Luckily for your older brother," Steph said angrily, "Though my brother and I were not so lucky."

"I think I should thank Katherine, though," Klaus said, "For if she had not sought your brother's company, I may not have had the honor to meet you on this fine evening." He smirked at Steph flushed. Out of the corner of Klaus' eye, he could see the vampire Stephanie had arrived with walking towards them with a glint of protectiveness in his icy gaze. "I am terribly afraid, love, that I will have to leave your acquaintance for now. Your older brother, Damon, was it? He is fast approaching and looks to be in a foul mood."

Steph sighed and looked to be disappointed of being robbed of time with Klaus. The Original smirked at this, and dared to kiss the younger's cheek. She blushed bright red, and Klaus bid her good-bye, deftly avoiding Big Brother. Rebekah excused herself of her suitors as she saw Klaus approach.

"What were you doing with that baby vampire?" Rebekah asked, aghast. Klaus sent a look back towards the vampire in question, and saw her smile at him as he caught her gaze. "Nik," Rebekah said.

"Oh, just making a new friend," Klaus said, "You should try it, 'Bekah. You might be kinder if you had." His sister growled at him, but made to move to harm her older brother as they left the ball.

* * *

The second time Niklaus met Stephanie Salvatore, it was in Monterrey of 1917 as she was wiping out an entire settlement in cold blood. Delighted and intrigued about the seemingly even tempered young vampire he'd met back in New York City, Klaus followed Steph in the middle of one of her hunts. What he saw similarly thrilled and disgusted him, though the latter feeling was quickly overpowered by lust.

Steph was a full blown Ripper. She killed and _loved_ it; she let her prey run, thinking they'd live, and then she trapped them and decapitated them in her fervor for the blood. What made Klaus particularly curious was that she felt such terrible remorse and guilt afterwards, and attempted to put the bodies back together, sobbing heart wrenchingly all the while. Her sobs made him go to her one evening.

"Steph."

The much younger vampire whirled around, all fangs and black eyes, on the immediate defense. She rose from her crouch a moment later though, her veins that were crawling around her eyes disappearing along with her fangs. Green eyes replaced black ones as she gazed at Klaus with confusion.

"Nik?" She asked.

"Hello, love," Klaus smirked, "Got a bit of blood, right . . ." He walked towards Steph, and realized that he towered over her. Klaus leant down and licked the blood clean off of her lips, "there."

Instead of the bashful creature she'd been in 1897 who had blushed furiously at just a kiss on the cheek, this Stephanie responded to the kiss with a hunger that nearly matched Klaus'. The Original used his heightened strength to trap Steph against a wall in the alley, caging her in his arms as he explored her mouth with his. Steph placed her hands around Klaus' neck, bringing him closer to her.

They broke apart, heaving for breath, both smirking with pleasure.

"I knew there was something special about you, love," Klaus murmured, "I just didn't know what it was at the time."

"I'm not usually like this," Steph murmured into Klaus' ear as she played with his blond hair, "I'm not usually so brutal. But I . . . I never could handle the blood all that well. It controls me." Klaus let his hands wander and Steph gasped.

"That's perfectly fine, love," Klaus said, overjoyed to find someone who was enjoying the kill like he did, "To let the bloodlust control you. I do. You feel powerful, don't you? Like you could do anything?"

"Yes," Steph breathed, "Yes."

"Come with me, love," Klaus murmured seductively, "Come be my Ripper. You'll have a fantastic time. I swear."

Steph's oak leaf green eyes were bright with bloodlust and attraction as she answered, "Absolutely."

And Klaus smirked, offering her his hand. Steph hesitated at this, curiously enough, but then firmly grabbed it in hers. Klaus led her off to where he'd left Rebekah in their hotel. The blond bombshell was surprised at their new houseguest, but welcomed her all the same.

The three traveled together for a while across the United States; at least a ten months of blood and sex and fear.

Elijah made a brief appearance at one point, in which Klaus and he fought when he hadn't brought Katarina with him. Klaus did not believe for a moment that Katarina was dead, despite Steph's claim. The Petrova was simply too smart, had too much self presveration skills to have been caught in the fire that had wiped out the rest of Mystic Falls' vampires.

"Who's your new friend?" Elijah'd asked before he was chased off, in search of the illusive vampire once more.

"The Ripper of Monterrey," Klaus said proudly, "She's lovely, isn't she?" Elijah had looked closer at Klaus, tilting his head to the side as he observed his younger brother.

"You love her." It was an observation made flatly and leaving no room for protests.

Klaus shrugged, "I love what's mine. She's mine." Elijah had bid the three of them a farewell, setting off again.

The trio's bloody rein wasn't meant to last, however, because one horrible night _he _came. Klaus, in a desperate bid to keep his heart safe, took Steph aside and stared her in the eye.

"_You're going to forget me and Rebekah. You're going to forget the good times we had together and the places we went. You've been wandering in a haze of bloodlust and looking for your brother this whole time."_

"I won't remember," Steph murmured, her pupils blown as she was compelled, "I've been searching for Damon this whole time."

"_You won't remember anything until I say so," _Klaus said, and closed his eyes tightly. "Alright, Rebekah, let's go." His sister gave little protest except for a forlorn look shot in Steph's direction.

The Originals disappeared, leaving Steph very confused in a trashed hotel room.

* * *

The third time Klaus meets Stephanie Salvatore is in the witch – Gloria's – place. It's a supernatural hotspot, not that Stephanie knows, Klaus can tell. There are witches milling around who come to see Gloria and others who come to trade supplies and spells and Grimoires. Werewolves stop by when the feel like it (all the 'safe' werewolves – the ones who don't eat humans intentionally – never come on full moons). Vampires come at all hours of night, and if they're especially lucky and have a daylight ring, a few will come while it's still light. (Though if they're true vampires, Klaus is of the opinion, they'll come at night and play with the big boys.)

Stephanie Salvatore is one of these true vampires.

Klaus had kept his eyes on Steph since 1917, and he meets up with her just three years later in Chicago with Rebekah once more. She'd been a mess, he'd seen, right back to when he'd found her Monterrey, ripping up her victims and tearing herself up with guilt afterwards.

Klaus was going to put a stop to it, he swore. He'd make her his proper ripper once more.

"Hello, love," Klaus murmured into Steph's ear as she sat at the bar. Steph tilted her head in his direction, looking up at him with her piercing green eyes. Her brown hair was curled into buoyant ringlets at the time, framing her pale face. Steph's lips were blood red and Klaus had to smell the air to see if it was actual blood on them. "Fancy a dance?"

Steph's eyes swept up Klaus' frame and she smirked lazily, "Perhaps."

"Only perhaps?" Klaus rumbled.

"If you make it worth my while," She whispered.

"That, I can promise," Klaus took Steph's hand and led her to the dance floor and led them into an elaborate motion that had been performed when Klaus was a young boy.

"What's your name?" Stephanie asked sometime later when they were seated again.

"Call me Nik," Klaus said quietly, and then looked into Steph's eyes, "_And I want you to remember."_ Stephanie rapidly blinked her eyes, and when she refocused on him, a brilliant smile lit up her face.

"Nik!" Steph's eyes had widened in recognition and she had found her way into Klaus' arms. The Original started to kiss her, and Steph passionately responded.

"I missed your company," Klaus panted after several minutes.

"Why did you leave?" Steph asked him seriously.

"Family business," Klaus evaded, and Stephanie let one of her eyebrows rise. "I'll tell you later, I promise, love."

Later that evening, Steph led Klaus to her apartment.

"There's something I want to show you," Steph said, "I've had it since I first went off the rails four years ago." She pushed open a backdoor that looked like a wall. Klaus looked behind the liquor stored there and saw a long, long list of names.

"Are these your victims?" Klaus asked, wonder in his voice.

"Every single one," Stephanie replied.

"Fantastic."

The next few days were a lost in the haze of blood and sex for Klaus and Stephanie. Rebekah joined in on the hunts on occasion, but mostly left them to her brother and his young lover. Gloria's bar was visited much, and many humans stopped coming for a period of time, afraid of the Original vampire and his feisty sister and vicious lover.

But it was all to come to an end all too soon for Klaus and Rebekah. He'd never explained Mikael to Steph; always evading her questions, and when she wouldn't stop, the Original got frustrated and compelled her to stop asking them.

Mikael found them all one evening in Gloria's club, and this time he'd brought in force as the police with wooden bullets.

"We have to go!" Klaus told Rebekah.

His sister replied sharply, "Not without Stephanie. Not this time."

"We'll come back for her," Klaus promised.

He turned to the vampire in question, who was severely confused. "What's going on, Nik?"

"_Love, you have to forget me again. Forget Rebekah and I and all of our exploits. I'll return for you one day. You'll only remember coming to Gloria's club for a drink and a meal. Thank you, love, for providing such companionship."_

Klaus grabbed Rebekah's hand and tugged her out of the club, looking back only once to see Stephanie reach for something on the ground, though he never saw what it was.

"Good-bye, my heart," Klaus murmured and turned away.

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**So, how was it? Please review and tell me your thoughts. Pretty, pretty please.**


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